Tag: sniffari

A scruffy white and dark grey dog looking out over a park with colorful flowers.

Decompression Walks: Rethinking What a “Good Walk” Looks Like

Posted on by Tiffany Holmes (she/they)

Does your dog’s walk feel more like a leash-tug chore than a treat? A decompression walk flips the script: more space, a longer line, and total freedom to sniff, wander, and process the world at their own pace. It’s one of the simplest ways to help an anxious, reactive, or overstimulated dog unwind, and it hits nearly every enrichment category at once — physical, sensory, mental, and social. In this post, we break down what makes a walk “decompressing,” how to find the right spot for your dog, and what equipment makes long-line walking easier so you can get out there and meander.

Opie, a fluffy brown dog, walking with his family.

Sniffari or Sorry, Can’t Party?

Posted on by Corinne Collier (she/her)
Opie, a fluffy brown dog, walking with his family.

Sniffari or Sorry, Can't Party? Managing Dog Sniffing on Walks

Estimated reading time: 4 mins

Why are we taking our dogs on a walk? Physical exercise? Mental stimulation?  Because we think we should? Side note: I once read an article on heart.org about all these wild health benefits of having a dog. It didn’t directly link the scientific studies that contributed to these claims, but it’s enough reasoning for me to feel good about sharing our lives with these furry family members.

This blog is about walks, but it starts a bit further down the walking journey.  Your pup already (read: usually) walks on a loose leash.  Your dog finds value in being by your side.  Your dog isn’t insisting on having a conversation with the neighbor dog crossing the street.  For more tips on working with leash reactivity, check out this blog by Allie.

This blog is specifically all about the sniffing aspect of walks.  You’ve consumed enough or our content  to realize that allowing our pups to sniff is beneficial on so many levels; however, it can be one of the hardest competing reinforcers when working on walking.  One of the longest conversations I have with families who are working on loose leash walking is sparked by the question: “What is the point of your walk?”  Once we unpack the answer for that, it makes training (and expectations) a whole lot clearer.

Defining Our Terms

  • Competing reinforcers – things in the environment that hold rewarding value (like sniffing another dog’s pee on a bush) and pull attention away from the intended reward (usually treats).

So...what's the point of the walk?

My family is a walking family.  We’ll take two-a-day, maybe more.  It’s our favorite way to exercise our dog because we enjoy getting out of the house, and Opie took to the activity with very little reactivity (but a lot of pulling for the first year). Once we decreased the pulling, there was just one more thing that left me more frustrated by the end of the walk than when we started.  The incessant sniffing.  And pausing.  And more sniffing.  And shoving his nose into the dirt as he repeatedly clears his airways. 

We like to think that before we got him, Opie was this heroic Search and Rescue dog and he’s just reliving his glory days on the force.  That works with calming me down sometimes, but certainly not always.  I remember one midwestern winter walk when I broke down in tears because I was so cold and tired and my fingers hurt and I didn’t feel like waiting for his sniffing to stop. I honestly screamed to the heavens “come onnnnn whyyyyyy.”  It wasn’t my finest moment, but we’ve moved on.

Finding the happy medium

So something needed to change.  I needed to reflect on why we were going on walks, what benefits I wanted Opie to experience, and why a walk suited us better than other exercise.  After a bit of reflection, I realized that we can come to a happy medium with Opie’s sniffing desires.  I want Opie to get as much sniffing as he can, but I needed a cue to let him know that we need to get moving and wonderful things still await us ahead. I trained a countdown cue that I now use when he’s starting to sniff too long for my schedule.

Before going on a walk with Opie, I find I get the most enjoyment out of the walk when I know what my expectations are.  I’ll do a quick check on how I’m feeling, what Opie’s day has been/will be like, and I set out knowing if today is going to be a “sniff to your heart’s content” or a “we gotta get a move on.”  This way, before we even close the garage door, I’m prepared for the training that needs to happen and can communicate with my pup accordingly.

There are so many types of walks, some may be for exercise, some for relaxation, some for mental stimulation, and some just to… complete a bodily transaction.  The type of walk may change based on the path you take through the neighborhood that day, the people/creatures that are out, the time of day, the time you have, the weather, etc.

Now, while you are the one who typically gets to decide what type of walk it will be, remember, most of the time, these walks are for our dogs.  The walks should always be something that completes their stress cycle, not something that gets them more worked up.  It should be something that satisfies their needs, not something that we force them into.  It should be something that allows them to do doggy things like sniff and explore. In any case, before you head out, make sure you get in the right mindset about if the walk is going to be a Sniffari, or a Sorry, Can’t Party.

 

Here’s to harmony,

Corinne

Now What?

Reevaluate what you want your walks to look like before you go for each walk. Note the ways we communicate to our pups if they can go on a Sniffari (sniff to your heart’s content) or if time is tight and it has to be a Sorry, Can’t Party (gotta keep it moving).

Ask yourself:

  • Why are we going on walks?
  • What benefits does my dog get out of the walk?
  • How can we reinforce our pups for choosing to move forward when we need to get moving instead of sniffing that tapestry of scents?

And if you need help with a plan, we’re here for you!

PS: Capitalism

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